Edit Claude

Instructions for Managing CLAUDE.md Files

Determine Action Type

CREATE: New CLAUDE.md file requested UPDATE: Modify existing CLAUDE.md (keywords: "update", "add", "modify", "change") OPTIMIZE: Improve token efficiency (keywords: "optimize", "reduce tokens", "improve")

Updating Existing CLAUDE.md Files

1. Read current file: Always read before editing
2. Identify section: Locate relevant section or create new heading
3. Make surgical edits: Use Edit tool for precise changes
4. Preserve structure: Maintain existing organization patterns
5. Validate: Ensure markdown is valid and clear

Optimizing CLAUDE.md Files

1. Audit current content:

   • Identify verbose prose that can become bullets
   • Find repetitive information
   • Locate outdated or irrelevant content

2. Apply compression techniques:

   • Convert paragraphs → bullets or tables
   • Remove unnecessary words and filler
   • Use abbreviations where context is clear
   • Group similar items together

3. Remove anti-patterns:

   • Delete sensitive information (credentials, tokens)
   • Remove frequently changing data
   • Extract verbose documentation to separate files
   • Remove duplicate information

4. Validate token efficiency: Aim for maximum signal, minimum tokens

See reference.md for optimization strategies and examples.

Creating New CLAUDE.md Files

1. Gather context: Ask user for project details if missing:

   • Coding standards (indentation, naming conventions)
   • Build/test/deployment commands
   • Architectural patterns
   • Security requirements

2. Organize around WHAT/WHY/HOW:

   • WHAT: Tech stack, codebase map, key packages
   • WHY: Project purpose, component responsibilities
   • HOW: Build/test/deploy commands, verification methods

3. Determine organization strategy (memory hierarchy):

   Main CLAUDE.md (universal, <200 tokens ideal, <500 acceptable):

   • Build/test/deploy commands
   • Universal code style applying to all files
   • Critical patterns used everywhere
   • Cohesive project-wide conventions (Git, Security, Planning, Style)
   • CLAUDE.md in project root (shared via git)

   .claude/rules/ (modular, 100-300 tokens each):

   • Path/language-specific files (auto-loaded): python.md, javascript.md
   • Domain-specific patterns: frontend/, backend/
   • Path-specific rules with frontmatter (see reference.md)

   CLAUDE.local.md (personal, auto-gitignored):

   • Personal preferences not shared with team
   • Local dev shortcuts, experimental rules

   ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md (cross-project personal):

   • Universal personal preferences across all projects

   @imports (lazy-loaded reference):

   • External docs: @README, @docs/architecture.md
   • Home directory: @~/.claude/my-prefs.md

   Memory load order (later overrides earlier):

   1. Enterprise policy → 2. Project memory → 3. Project rules (.claude/rules/) → 4. User memory (~/.claude/) → 5. Project local (CLAUDE.local.md)

4. File Zones (if project uses ref/wip pattern):

   • Detect folder names: ref/ or reference/ (read-only), wip/ or work-in-progress/ (workspace). Use whichever name the project already has.
   • Add to CLAUDE.md:

     ## File Zones
     - 🔒 ref/ (or reference/) — READ-ONLY. Never edit unless user explicitly says "update ref". Show diff and ask first.
     - ✏️ wip/ (or work-in-progress/) — Default workspace. All new files and edits go here.
     - 🔒 .in/ — READ-ONLY archive. Never modify.
     

   • Include this section in main CLAUDE.md for all projects using ref/wip (non-technical users especially benefit from visual clarity)

5. Organization decision tree:

   • Universal + cohesive (Git/Security/Planning/File Zones)? → Main CLAUDE.md (even if 200-500 tokens)
   • Path/language-specific (Python/JS/Bash rules)? → .claude/rules/lang.md with frontmatter
   • Domain-specific (frontend/backend patterns)? → .claude/rules/domain/
   • Topic >300 tokens standalone? → Consider .claude/rules/topic.md
   • Personal preferences? → CLAUDE.local.md or ~/.claude/
   • Detailed reference docs? → @import external docs

6. Universal vs Path-Specific Decision:

   Keep in main CLAUDE.md:

   • Universal conventions applying to ALL files/operations
   • Cohesive conceptual units (Git workflow, Security policies, Style guides)
   • Even if combined total is 200-500 tokens
   • Examples: commit format, pre-commit flow, security exclusions, output formatting

   Extract to .claude/rules/:

   • Path/language-specific rules (Python for *.py, React for *.tsx)
   • Domain-specific patterns (frontend/, backend/, infra/)
   • When single topic exceeds ~300 tokens standalone
   • Examples: python.md with paths: "**/*.py", bash-scripting.md with paths: "**/*.sh"

   Key principle: Cohesion and semantic grouping matter more than strict token limits. A well-organized 430-token CLAUDE.md with universal sections (Git 90 + Security 50 + Planning 45 + Style 200 = 385 tokens) is better than fragmenting conceptually related content across multiple files.

7. H1 = Project Name (required):

   • First line MUST be # Project Name — used by /switch, /save-context, /load-context for project identification
   • Examples: # Praxis, # NanoVC — Control Repo, # GTD-PCM Control Plane

8. Structure content (token-efficient):

   • Use markdown headings for organization
   • Use tables and bullets over prose
   • Be specific (e.g., "Use 2-space indentation" not "Format code properly")
   • Group related items logically

9. Include sanity marker (optional but recommended):

   sanity check: [random-number]
   

10. Write file with appropriate sections based on user context

See reference.md § Templates for starter examples and § Modular Rules for .claude/rules/ patterns.

⚠️ Hard Char Limits (from Claude Code source)

Claude Code enforces hard character limits on instruction files. Content beyond these limits is silently truncated with [truncated] appended — no warning to the user.

Loading order: Files are loaded walking from filesystem root to CWD. Once total budget is exhausted: "Additional instruction content omitted after reaching the prompt budget." — deeper files (closer to CWD) are the ones that get dropped.

Implications:

• A CLAUDE.md chain of 4 files (e.g., ~/.claude/ → praxis root → repo → subfolder) shares the 12K budget
• Files with identical content (after whitespace normalization) are auto-deduped
• Run claude --dump-system-prompt to verify what actually loads
• Run wc -c on each file in the chain to check headroom

When creating/updating: Always check current chain total. Warn user if any file is >3,500 chars or chain total >10,000 chars.

Key Principles

• Specific over generic: "Run npm test" not "Test the code"
• Persistent not temporary: Coding standards yes, current bug no
• Concise not verbose: Bullets and tables over paragraphs
• Modular organization: Main CLAUDE.md + .claude/rules/ + @imports
• Path-specific when needed: Frontmatter with paths: glob patterns
• Secure: Never include credentials or sensitive data

MANDATORY Validation (CREATE only)

STOP: Before creating new CLAUDE.md, answer YES/NO for each:

• Q1: Persistent (not temporary)? [YES/NO]
• Q2: Frequently referenced (coding standards, workflows)? [YES/NO]
• Q3: Concise (avoid verbose docs)? [YES/NO]
• Q4: Non-sensitive (no credentials/tokens)? [YES/NO]

If ANY answer is NO: → STOP. Explain why inappropriate. → Recommend alternatives: README.md (docs), environment variables (secrets), direct request (one-time), .claude/rules/ (detailed guidelines) → EXIT immediately.

If ALL answers are YES: → Proceed to "Creating New CLAUDE.md Files" section above.

Progressive Disclosure

Keep main CLAUDE.md lean (<200 tokens). Distribute content:

Modular rules (.claude/rules/ - auto-loaded):

.claude/rules/
  |- code-style.md
  |- security.md
  |- frontend/react.md
  |- backend/api.md

Imports (lazy-loaded when referenced):

@README
@docs/architecture.md
@~/.claude/my-project-prefs.md

Reference docs (external):

reference/
  |- runbooks/building.md
  |- standards/conventions.md

Use /memory command during session to view/edit loaded memories.

Constraints

• Hard char limits: 4,000 chars/file, 12,000 chars total chain (see ⚠️ Hard Char Limits above)
• Instruction budget: LLMs follow ~150-200 instructions reliably. Claude Code's system prompt uses ~50, leaving ~100 for CLAUDE.md
• Token target: Main CLAUDE.md <200 tokens ideal, <500 acceptable for universal cohesive content
• Universal relevance: Every line should apply to most sessions, not task-specific work
• Modular distribution: Use .claude/rules/ for path/language/domain-specific content, not to fragment universal cohesive sections
• Cohesion over tokens: Keep conceptually related universal sections together (Git, Security, Planning, Style) even if combined total is 200-500 tokens

See reference.md § Content Guidelines for inclusion/exclusion rules and anti-patterns.

Validation Checklist

• Information is persistent and frequently referenced
• No sensitive credentials or tokens included
• Content is concise and token-efficient (<200 tokens for main CLAUDE.md)
• Markdown structure is clear with headings
• Specific guidelines (not generic advice)
• Appropriate organization: main vs .claude/rules/ vs @imports
• Path-specific rules use frontmatter (if applicable)
• Sanity marker included (optional)

See reference.md § Templates, § Modular Rules, and § Import Syntax for detailed examples.

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